Read some of the stories of individuals and RAF families we have supported over the years.
When an aerial collision left parachute instructor Corporal Rob Bugden with life-changing and career-ending injuries, the RAF Benevolent Fund were there at the very beginning and we’re still there now.
Even though he was sleeping in his dining room and washing at a downstairs utility room sink, RAF veteran Leroy Francis was still reluctant to ask for help. But when he did the support he received from the RAF Benevolent Fund was life-changing.
Caroline was just seven when she was diagnosed with a rare, inoperable cancer; a stage four tumour in her head. The diagnosis took over two months to come as doctors initially thought she had an earache.
Nancy Presland's late husband Brian served in the RAF for 25 years as an instructor in the police school.
When a mid-air collision threatened to end his career, former Red Arrows pilot Mike Ling knew he could rely on the RAF Benevolent Fund for support.
For John Wright and his wife Mary the help they received from the Fund to support their disabled son Lewis made a world of difference to their family.
RAF veteran Ron Finch did not hesitate when he was called up to serve his country at the end of the Second World War – he simply saw it as his duty.
Natasha lost her father David Haward, Group Captain at RAF, to a flying accident in 1998. The RAF Benevolent Fund helped Natasha and her family during their biggest moment of need. Twenty years later we are still helping the family so that they support Natasha's future.
RAF widow Temperance Davies can now live in comfort, in her home of more than 70 years, thanks to help from the RAF Benevolent Fund.
For RAF widow Pat Macmillan, the RAF Benevolent Fund's help is the difference between enjoying her retirement or constantly worrying.
Thelma Berry joined the WRAF in 1951 and served as a Radar Operator until her marriage in 1953. Thelma had a difficult childhood, losing her mother at the age of three and then being evacuated from Brighton to Halifax at the start of World War II when she was only four years old.
When Corporal Stuart Robinson was seriously injured in an IED explosion in Afghanistan in 2013, he knew the road to recovery would be a tough one.
When Senior Aircraftman Kevin Ogilvie was seriously injured in an IED explosion in Afghanistan, he knew the road to recovery would be a tough one.
Former SAC Luke Wigman hadn't thought about a life beyond Service until he was seriously injured in an IED explosion in Afghanistan in 2011.
For RAF Police dog handler Corporal Mick McConnell a simple walk on the beach with his dog Memphis brings new pleasure, and support from the RAF Benevolent Fund is helping him rebuild his life.
Senior Aircraftman Michael Goody was on patrol with the RAF Regiment in Afghanistan in October 2008, when they were hit by an improvised explosive device, or IED. He was trapped under his vehicle for three hours and suffered a composite fracture of his left ankle.
Jacqui Thompson's husband, Gary, was killed in Afghanistan while serving with the RAF Regiment.
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In 2019, we helped more than 71,700 current and former members of the RAF and their families.
Helpline: 0300 102 1919
